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The Air Force accomplished an unprecedented mission in August 2019 when medics from across the force came together for an 8,000 mile, non-stop evacuation of a critically injured Soldier.
With a C-17 Globemaster III crew and refueling aircraft positioned along the way, 18 medics, including a Critical Care Air Transport Team, moved the patient direct from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.
At every stage and under strenuous conditions, Airmen delivered exceptional care to save a life. While the length of this mission was challenging and unprecedented, this is the type of mission the Air Force prepares to execute every day, delivering ready medical support to operational forces. Air Force medics stay ready to answer that call and “fight tonight” by maintaining clinical currency and proficiency through treating patients and readiness training.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Air Force Medical Service’s involvement in Operation Allied Force and the humanitarian support in Operation Shining Hope, and the first deployment of the Air Force’s Expeditionary Medical Support System, or EMEDS.

For more than three years, researchers with the Air Force Research Laboratory have continuously refined the Battlefield Assisted Trauma Distributed Observation Kit, or BATDOK, improving how combat medics deliver care in austere environments using an adaptable smartphone program.

Airmen are “arming up” their life-saving skills with Tactical Combat Casualty Care, also known as TCCC.
TCCC is a standardized course created to equip every Airman, Soldier, Sailor and Marine with the basic skills to save lives in combat operations.
Replacing the Air Force’s Self Aid and Buddy Care Program, TCCC teaches Airmen to treat injuries until medical care arrives.

Eye injuries in a deployed setting can be a significant setback for any Airman, but new telemedicine capabilities are helping to keep them in the fight.
With funding from the 59th Medical Wing, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, Air Force and Army medical researchers are developing a HIPAA-compliant smart phone application to connect providers downrange with on-call ophthalmologists either in-theater or at a clinic.

Evacuating patients injured in combat and transporting them to higher levels of care requires a team of trained medics with the capability to keep patients stable in-flight. The Air Force’s Aeromedical Evacuation system has been a staple of transporting wartime casualties since World War II.